Lulete Mola and the Black Collective Foundation: Building Power Through Participatory Philanthropy
During the 2020 racial justice uprising, Lulete Mola co-founded the Black Collective Foundation, Minnesota’s first Black Community Foundation. Featured in the Echoes of Unity Special Edition, Mola shares how participatory philanthropy, collective leadership, and community-driven investment are advancing long-term Black-led change.
In 2020, amid a national racial justice uprising, Lulete Mola and her co-founders launched the Black Collective Foundation, Minnesota’s first Black Community Foundation, to advance the genius of Black-led change through participatory philanthropy.
“We realized we must build institutions that can outlast the moment,” Mola said. “We must build self-determined ways of resourcing and amplifying the change we want to see.”
The foundation operates as a community-first organization, providing resources and initiatives that are exclusively for Black people while also creating opportunities for all. Mola said their approach is both locally rooted and broadly visionary, redefining philanthropy in Minnesota and nationally.
Despite being only five years old, the foundation has already moved nearly $4 million into the community, supporting legacy organizations, emerging initiatives, and programs that empower Black girls, young men, elders, artists, and entrepreneurs. The organization has also published national research highlighting Black philanthropy in Minnesota, convened leaders to foster new networks, and launched initiatives supporting legal literacy for organizations across cultures and races.
Mola emphasized that the foundation’s impact stems from collective leadership. “Sustainable leadership is really about the collective… leading collectively, moving collectively, strategically aligning, and understanding your lane,” she said. “It’s not about me; it’s about all of us. The smartest thing I did was be a co-founder. I am not a sole founder. This work is bigger than one person.”
Her leadership philosophy extends beyond professional work. A new mother herself, Mola credits her ability to lead to the village of support around her. “We do not lead alone,” she said. “Whether it’s someone who’s been here for generations or someone like me who immigrated from Ethiopia, leadership alone is not sustainable. I couldn’t do this work without my village.”
Mola is also committed to engaging young people in shaping the foundation’s work. She said youth bring fresh perspectives, energy, and longevity to initiatives, and she described them as essential to the foundation’s future. “If your vision does not include young people, that means you are building your vision to die,” she said. Young leaders participate in grant committees, program development, and community engagement, ensuring the foundation’s mission remains regenerative and forward-looking.
Economic empowerment is a central focus of the foundation, echoing the principles Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized in his later years. Mola said that Black people continue to face worsening economic conditions, including shrinking safety nets, limited access to stable jobs, and rising costs. “It’s critical that we build our own,” she said. Through partnerships with community development financial institutions, nonprofits, and social-impact businesses, the foundation helps create pathways for Black-led economic success. Initiatives like Groundbreak, focused on wealth building, illustrate how vision translates into tangible change.
The foundation’s mission extends beyond economics. Mola said collective liberation means creating a community in which Black people live with dignity, wellness, and prosperity. Achieving that requires restoring kinship networks and cultivating connections across generations. “We build kinship networks one relationship at a time,” she said. “It’s time to go back and focus on them, to provide resources and opportunities for folks, to be our brother and sister’s keeper now more than ever.”
Mola highlighted the importance of participatory philanthropy, where community members directly shape the foundation’s work. “Everybody from our board to our staff to the people who help make grant decisions are from this community,” she said. “That truly makes it a Black collective. The work is held up by so many people, and that’s what makes it sustainable. It’s not about any one person.”
Community engagement and connection are at the heart of the Black Collective Foundation’s approach. Mola encourages anyone interested in supporting the mission to give, participate, and stay connected. “Give, give, give,” she said. “Stay connected, help build what is an asset to all of us.”
Reflecting on the past three years, Mola said the foundation’s progress has exceeded expectations. By the end of 2025, it will have allocated nearly $4 million into the community through creative and abundant programs, ranging from youth and elder initiatives to support for artists, entrepreneurs, and Black-led organizations. “My hope and prayer is that the Black Collective can continue carrying the essence and dreams of our people so that it can be here beyond me,” she said.
Through participatory philanthropy, holistic empowerment, and intentional community building, Mola and the Black Collective Foundation are redefining what it means to lead and thrive collectively. Their work exemplifies a model where leadership is shared, the community shapes the mission, and resources are used to cultivate long-term change that benefits current and future generations.
The Black Collective Foundation Minnesota, co-founded by Lulete Mola and two fellow leaders, is the state’s first Black community foundation dedicated to advancing Black-led change through participatory philanthropy, youth engagement, and economic empowerment. For more information, visit www.minnesotablackcollectivefoundation.org.